“It showcases the powerful foundation we’re building in close collaboration with Epic Games to push open-world design further.”

Epic Games recently held its latest State of Unreal presentation, and while offering several new details on Unreal Engine 5.6 (out today) CD Projekt RED’s The Witcher 4 was the star. Its cinematic trailer set up a gorgeous tech showcase, highlighting the implementation of tech like MetaHuman and Nanite Foliage.

Of course, this was in-engine, and CD Projekt RED has gone the extra mile by clarifying it’s not a look at “The Witcher 4 itself.” A spokesperson told VGC, “This is a tech demo and a first look at the cutting-edge technology powering The Witcher 4 – but not The Witcher 4 itself.”

Instead, fans should view it as showcasing “the powerful foundation we’re building in close collaboration with Epic Games to push open-world design further than ever before and the core systems and features we’re developing using Unreal Engine 5.

“We’re really proud of this early milestone and excited to give you a sneak peek at some of the cool tech like UAF, Nanite Foliage, Smart Objects, ML Deformer and FastGeo Streaming that are helping shape the future of The Witcher.”

Announced as Project Polaris in March 2022, CD Projekt RED revealed The Witcher 4 last December at The Game Awards 2024 with a cinematic trailer. It stars Ciri as the protagonist and kickstarts a new Witcher trilogy with players having access to new tactics, including magic and a chain grappling hook.

The Witcher 4 lacks a release window, but CD Projekt has already clarified that it won’t be out by the end of 2026. Stay tuned for more updates in the meantime.